In France 24: Saudi Debates First Alcohol Shop
As Saudi Arabia introduces policy that will allow its first alcohol shop and says its goal is “to counter the illicit trade of alcohol goods and products received by diplomatic missions,” Coates Ulrichsen said the framing of this news “is likely intended to send a subtle message that change may be on the way, but that the process will be incremental and tightly controlled.”
Norman Quoted on Upcoming NASPAA Student Simulation Competition
On March 2, Rice University’s School of Social Sciences Master of Global Affairs Program will host the 2024 NASPAA Student Simulation Competition. “I am very glad to see that this year’s topic is forced displacement, which is both a politically difficult subject and one that greatly affects real people’s lives,” Norman said.
In Arab Digest Podcasts: Red Sea Reckoning
Coates Ulrichsen speaks with Arab Digest on the cycle of violence in the Red Sea shipping lanes, a result of the spreading violence stemming from the Gaza war.
In Breaking Defense: US, UK Strikes in Yemen Not Designed to Escalate Conflict
“There remains no regional appetite, on either side of the Gulf, for an escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict, and the strikes in Yemen go against the de-escalatory dynamics that have been so evident since 2022,” said Coates Ulrichsen. “Much may depend on whether the strikes were a one-off or will be part of a larger campaign, and of how and where the Houthis respond.”
In Explainer: Why Bahrain Supported US Strikes on Yemen’s Houthis
Bahrain was the only Arab country that supported the American and British strikes on Yemen’s Houthis. Bahrain “likely sees any action against Iran-aligned groups in the region through the prism of its close security and defense ties with Washington and its tense relationship with Tehran,” said Coates Ulrichsen.